


Masques and Possibilities

by orphan_account



Category: Points - Melissa Scott & Lisa A. Barnett
Genre: Costume Parties & Masquerades, M/M, Yuletide, challenge:Yuletide 2008
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2008-12-25
Updated: 2008-12-25
Packaged: 2017-11-02 08:40:56
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,276
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/367092
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There's a novel's worth of stories to tell about what happened between Hopes and Dreams. This is one of the possibilities: after the de Mailhac scandal is laid to rest, Astreiant gives a masque in Coindarel's honour. Eslingen and Rathe attend, for their own reasons.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Masques and Possibilities

Low-flyers clogged the road from City Point to the Western Reach, moving slowly enough that more impatient riders paid off their drivers and stepped down to join the line of people making their way toward a brightly lit townhouse. Philip Eslingen leaned out of his own hired carriage to see how bad it truly was ahead. "That's well enough," he said. "You won't get much past this unless someone decides to trample the crowd." He picked up the mask lying on the seat beside him and settled it into place, then handed the driver his fare before stepping down to the street. "Seidos keep you. And if he doesn't, I'll hire you back again after this is done."

Philip slid easily into the stream of partygoers headed for the ornate iron gate in the low stone wall, all masked and wearing their finest silks and frills. He adjusted his neckcloth to match the styles being sported by the more fashionable men around him - he may have haunted the cast-off clothing stalls in Temple Fair to find a coat only a season or two out of cut, but he'd used coin better saved to buy a strip of lace from the apprentices' cart in front of Laciers' Hall, and wanted to show it to its best advantage. After all, although it was Coindarel and not he who was the guest of honor at tonight's festivities, Aicelin had warned that he might find himself unmasked at some point, and a man - even if a Leaguer and a knife - should have his pride.

The walkway to the townhouse was lined with men in livery holding lanterns. Philip passed through the gantlet and entered the house, handing his invitation to a stern-visaged majordomo who scrutinized it carefully.

"Ah," the majordomo said. He looked Philip over, as if he were memorizing the shape of Philip's mask and the fit of his breeches, then signaled a tall red-haired footman to join them. "Astreiant requests your presence. John will take you to her." He bowed to Philip, quite deeply. "If I may be bold, sir, I thank you and your companions. My nephew was among the children you rescued."

Philip returned the bow. He had received similar thanks in many places throughout the city in the past few weeks since they had returned. He wondered sometimes how forty children could have so many relatives, but stifled the thought as uncharitable. Certainly the people who had thanked him were heartfelt, unlike most of the guests here. He looked around as he followed the footman through the crowd; music and lively chatter washed over him while jewels caught the candlelight and posies on every lapel and decolletage scented the air heavily. These Astreianters had been distressed by the aurichalcum scandal, yes, but from a political perspective and not from worry about the missing children. As the footman led him into a narrow corridor and opened a plain door, Philip pushed those thoughts away. Leveller thoughts would not serve him well on a night like this.

"Lieutenant." Astreiant was seated on a low settee, her skirts distributed neatly about her. The tiny jewels on her domino mask flashed in the candlelight as she inclined her head. "You are welcome in my home, and the thanks of the city are again yours."

Philip bowed deeply; had he been wearing a hat, its plume would have dusted her spotless floor. "My thanks for your kind invitation, your grace."

"Always the gentleman, Philip." A low chuckle came from the corner behind him.

"Prince-marshal." Philip turned slightly and bowed to Coindarel, much less deeply than he had to the metropolitan. "I am honored to add my thanks to those already gathered here."

"Do stop, Philip," Coindarel said as the door opened again. "You know full well the purpose of this evening. It has nothing to do with who deserves final credit."

"And everything to do with putting the nobles at ease so that they can get on with whatever they were doing before?" 

"Adjunct Point Rathe." Astreiant's voice was laced with amusement. "You are also welcome."

"Your grace." Nicolas bowed, then turned and nodded to Philip, smiling slightly. "Lieutenant." 

Coindarel shook his hair into place and adjusted his mask, then offered his arm to the metropolitan. "Shall we be about our business, your grace, before your guests are too involved in their own intrigues to celebrate ours?"

Astreiant rose and placed her hand in Coindarel's elbow, smiling at Philip and Nicolas. "I truly am glad you are both here. I shall look forward to seeing you again." She looked up at Coindarel and nodded. "A welcome, a brief exchange of pleasantries, and we shall call it well done." They swept from the room, and the noise from the great hall fell quiet moments later.

Nicolas laughed softly. "You aren't following them. Is Hanse not here for you to dance attendance? There are plenty of people here who'd be delighted with an opportunity to attack him behind the shelter of a mask."

"No," Philip said. "He declined, preferring to meet his adversaries full-faced." He tilted his head, surveying Rathe. "I didn't know you kept a velvet coat, Nico. You don't strike me as the masque-going type."

"I'm not." Nico looked down at his clothing. "Borrowed from actors, all. Including this." He reached for his mask, lifting it slightly until Philip pulled his hand away.

"Don't," Philip whispered.

"No?" Nicolas let his hand drop, eyes curious behind the shaped papier-mache. "Why not? Am I too hideous for you to look at otherwise?"

"No, no," Philip said, leaning in to settle the mask back into place. He could smell Nico's soap, subtle Silklander spices warmed by skin. "Because at a masque, one is never quite sure of who the other is - or of who he is himself." He let a finger ghost slowly across Nico's cheek before pulling his hand back. "Anxieties and fears swallowed in the thrills of possibility."

"You, anxieties and fears?" Nico smiled a bit. "Eslingen, so confident and assured, finding refuge behind a domino?" He shifted his weight, moving a fraction closer. "I know who you are, Philip, mask or no."

Philip smothered a groan; Nico was close enough that he could feel the warmth between their bodies. "Call it willingness, then - a willingness to take in costume what one might not get with faces seen."

"You discount yourself, Lieutenant," Nico said quietly. "Yourself and others both, if you think your face is your coin."

"In my experience -" Philip stopped as Nico pressed a finger to his mouth.

"Coindarel's world is to his taste, Philip. You have your own, and it needn't be made to the prince-marshal's measure." Nico slid his hand to the back of Philip's neck and let it rest there a moment, then pulled him closer and into a slow kiss. They both startled a bit when their masks rubbed together, and Nico stepped back.

"Nico...." Philip took a half-step toward him, then shook his head. "You seem so certain."

Nico smiled and held out his hand. "Come, Philip. Let's go and see how the landames live, and dine on Astreiant's generosity. Do you dance?"

Philip twined his fingers into Nico's. "Passably." He drew back, studying Nico carefully. "And then?"

Nico squeezed his hand. "And then we go back to our world, and shape it to our own liking."

Philip nodded, then leaned across to kiss Nico's temple at the mask's edge. "I left a low-flyer idling on the road. He'll probably still be there," he said, laughing. Nico's chuckle blended with Philip's, and they went out together into the bright noise of Astreiant's great hall. 

 


End file.
